There are a lot of people who start threads like, "What kind of front bumpers are out there?" "Who makes a decent body kit?" "What drop springs should I get?" etc. The most common answer they get is, "NOOB! Use teh search button!!!"

Well rather than sifting through tons of endless threads about parts can we make a page that shows the most common aftermarket parts available? Obviously you can't have every part available but there are so many common ones.

Back when I had my Dakota R/T I was part of dakota-durango.com and we had this page http://dakota-durango.com/partsinfo.php and each part category has a sub page with common parts, at least one picture of it, and usually a place to buy it if its not available from multiple places

I'm no html whiz so I don't know how much help I would be in creating this, but I am willing to put some work in and I'm sure we can get a lot of members to submit pics for each part we need pics of.

 

good suggestion but honestly - that is what the search button provides - if we have to spoon feed all information to people i think it gets ridiculous.

I'm all for helping people and i read alot of the stickies and DIY pages on a routine basis - however i am not for spoon feeding people every answer they could ever want - when you search for stuff you learn more anyway and are more likely to become a contributing member of the forum.

Kindof like in highschool when your teacher gave you a notecard and you spent so much time putting everything you could on that card - you actually end up learning the stuff and not needing the card (mostly) - that is what searching does...

that's my $.02 FWIW

 

No i agree searching is the best however sometimes it is difficult especially when you don't know what all is out there. Say you are searching for a front bumper cover. If you type "front bumper cover" in and search, I get 9 pages of results and the entire first page doesn't list any bumper cover related material in the title. It isn't even until the 2nd page where the nismo cover is mentioned. Sure you can say well search better or read every thread. But you have to know what you are searching for. If I was new after reading for a while, I might find info on the nismo cover, the k2, karuma z. But I might have no idea about the Inven cover. You have to know what's out there in order to be able to search.

 

There's way to many items for our cars to list and then you have a kazillion opinions on which is best. Best thing for new member is to SEARCH, go thru our Garage pic and see what we've done. Attending meets is another way to find out what you like best. After they've formed their own opinions then the MARKETPLACE would be the best place to purchase their new stuff. Stillen lists a ton of parts for our cars and I've only bought 2 of those because that's what I liked. Thank GOD I did my research....
Gary

 

Its not about what are the best parts though. Its about being informed on whats out there. I have noticed that it seems like a lot of people tend to mod these cars following a few different trends based off what other people have done. Now most of that could be because those are the best parts, however Im afraid its because when they searched they found tons of information based on what has been done in the past and just follow the trend. This kills originality. Even if this was just a list, no pictures, but just manufacturer and model names of parts to search. Going back to the example of bumpers, just a list of all the manufacturers that users can think of. After that they can search and be able to find all the info they could ever need because they know what to search for.

If no one thinks its a good idea then that's fine. But it worked really well on that site I linked. The sites active posting population went up after that and new users were hooked because the site was so helpful. Im just looking for a way to make this site the best. Every little bit helps. Sites like this are for helping people and I think its lost when new users are berated and put off for breaking search before posting etiquette. Especially when they tried with little help returned.

 

This is a good point.

However this is what will happen with that -
"I saw this xxxx colored G with xxxx kit, does anyone have pictures of this kit in xxxxx color?" or "i saw one xxxx with xxxx kit - does anyone have pictures of that lowered on xxxx?" those threads will run rampant for sure..

Although i like your idea... I have alot of pictures and could probably put something basic together fairly easily... I think a starter thread for bodykits is helpful and pertinent - but man - to do this for every part would be excessive i think.

 

But thats what I think it will help get rid of the most because they can just go to the parts info page of the site and match up what they saw with a manufacturer.


Also its not just for one person to do. Many users can help. A thread that says I need pictures of exhaust catbacks for example. Open it up and a user sees the list of models that pictures are needed of. If there arent any good ones posted, they can add theirs if they wish. That's how we did it on that site. It took time to do, building a little at a time.

 

They'd have a resource - but there are plenty of great resources on here already that people don't use... but again - i agree with the bodykit thread and possibly an exhaust thread just not one for all parts...



I have never understood why people start posts and wait around for the answers - when if they had searched first they'd have the answer to the question quicker than the time it took to create a post...

 

Yeah I never got that either. This wont eliminate that either as you would still get posts like "Why are my VDC and Brake dash lights on?" etc. lol But it could cut down on "what kind of drop springs to go with?"

 

Obviously you wouldnt want to do wheels. There are just too many options. Things like shift ***** would be stupid too. So here is what I propose:

EXTERIOR:
At minimum should have broken down into these categories

Front bumpers
Rear bumpers
Side skirts
Front lips

At some point grilles would be good to add, maybe even rear diffusers, splash guards etc.


EXHAUST:
Headers
Test pipes (resonated and non-resonated)
HFC
y-pipes (can include things like 350z HR y-pipe so people know those are good upgrades for some)
mid-pipes
rear mufflers
cat-back systems


SUSPENSION:
Drop springs:
All 4 of the tein options h and s-techs for g35 and 350z just a picture of what each option looks like on both sedans and coupes
eibach
etc.
For adjustable coil-overs its easier because you don't even need pics of them on the car just the parts themselves. They are adjustable so there is no reason to show how they look installed


If this is a help to people then maybe down the road do things like big brake kits, short shifters, jdm battery covers, whatever people want

 

^^^ why dont you just start a thread with the info you just listed...

If there is a reason not to, you'll find out soon enough (either lack of interest, to many choices/opinions, etc)... if it flies, then you got what you're looking for.

Really no point in discussing it in here, just start a thread and see how it goes...

 

Anybody can start a thread loaded with info like that. But it still isn't helpful if he has no clue about what he's looking at or talking about. And on top of that, as new products come out, the thread needs to be updated, so it takes time and attention as well. So the biggest problem here is: Who's going to make these threads?

 

There's already a very informative thread on suspension options, and there's a thread for sedan exhausts.

 

Im not saying we need threads. There are good threads. Im suggesting adding a page to the website like the one I listed above. If that flies with the admins/owner I want to start the threads to get me the pics and info i need

 

Some forums have a home page with a small store, links to basic info on the different year models and features along with the intricacies of each one, aftermarket support, and DIYs.

But all in all, somebody has to put it all together.